Audio playlist selections and related entertainment systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A method of providing an entertainment game includes receiving information about a number of players that will be playing the game and receiving information about a music challenge in which the players will be competing. The music challenge is a subject, topic, or category for which there are a plurality of songs that are responsive to the music challenge. A database of songs can be provided from which each player can choose a selected song with each selected song being selected by a respective player in response to the music challenge. At least a portion of the selected songs can be played and the players can be polled to receive votes from the players for the song that best answers the challenge.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/502,785, which was filed on Jun. 29, 2011, and is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

FIELD

This disclosure is directed to methods and systems for providingentertainment to users.

BACKGROUND

Various sources are available on the Internet for streaming music. Manyof these sources, such as YouTube™, provide streaming music free ofcharge to users. However, conventional technology does not allow forcollection of these various sources for continued playback, such as viaa playlist. Nor does conventional technology allow users to createplaylists of music available from these sources, or initiate gamechallenges based, at least in part, on the creation of playlists ofmusic available from these sources for entertainment purposes.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a method of providing an entertainment game involvingthe selection of music for playback is provided. The method includesreceiving information about a number of players that will be playing thegame and receiving information about a music challenge in which theplayers will be competing. The music challenge can comprise a subject,topic, or category for which there are a plurality of songs that areresponsive to the music challenge. A database of songs can be providedfrom which each player can choose a selected song, with each selectedsong being selected by a respective player in response to the musicchallenge. At least a portion of the selected songs can be played andthe players can be polled to receive votes from the players. Each playercan vote for one of the selected songs.

In some embodiments, the database of songs comprises a plurality ofsongs that are available to be streamed via a secondary website, such asYouTube™. Each player can choose their respective selected song eitherfrom the database of songs or from another source. The music challengecan be selected from a list of previously-identified challenges. In someembodiments, each player is not permitted to vote for their ownrespective selected song.

In other embodiments, a predetermined amount of time is provided foreach player to vote during the polling step. A source of the selectedsongs comprises both audio and video components and the playing of theat least a portion of the selected songs can comprise playing anaudio-only version of the selected songs. Each player can be providedwith the option to view the video component of the selected songs, if heor she so desires. The selected song that receives the most votes can besubsequently played in its entirety.

In some embodiments, songs in the database can be associated with atleast one URL from which the song can be streamed. At least some of thesongs in the database are associated with a plurality of URLs from whichthe song can be streamed. When playing the at least a portion of theselected songs, if a URL associated with the selected song is found tobe inactive, another URL associated with the selected song can beutilized. In some embodiments, when playing the at least a portion ofthe selected songs, if all URLs associated with the selected song arefound to be inactive, that selected song is skipped and not included inthe voting. The players can be permitted to add all of the selectedsongs into a playlist that can be saved. The players can be in differentgeographic locations from one another while playing the game and theplayers can be provided with targeted advertising messages based ontheir geographic locations. The players can also be provided withincentives to play additional games, with the incentives being ofmonetary value (such as coupons, discounts, or other real or virtualitems of value).

In another embodiment, a method of promoting music is provided. Themethod includes receiving songs from a plurality of artists andpublishing the songs on a website so the songs are available for viewingby users of the website. Ratings by the users can be received about thequality of the published songs and the artists that receive the highestratings by the users can be identified. The artists of the songs thatreceive the highest rankings can be provided with prizes. The prizes canbe further promotion on the website. The users can also be provided withincentives to rate the songs received from the artists, includinginstant prizes and prizes for rating a predetermined number of songs.

In another embodiment, a method of providing music to users isdisclosed. The method comprises identifying URLs from which a pluralityof songs can be streamed from a location on the Internet, associatingthe URLs with the plurality of songs, providing a searchable databasethat includes the streamable songs and their associated URLs, andproviding a playlist generator that creates a playlist of a plurality ofthe streamable songs upon selection by a user.

In some embodiments, one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediaare provided for storing computer-executable instructions which whenexecuted by a computer processor causes the computer processor toperform the methods described herein. In some embodiments, one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media are provided for storingcomputer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform amethod, the method comprising any of the new and nonobvious methods ormethod acts described herein both alone or in combinations andsubcombinations with one another. In other embodiments, one or morenon-transitory computer-readable media are provided for storing any ofthe intermediate or final results generated at least in part byperforming any of the new and nonobvious methods or method actsdescribed herein both alone or in combinations and subcombinations withone another. Computing hardware can include a processor and memory, withthe computing hardware being configured to perform any of the new andnonobvious methods or method acts described herein both alone or incombinations and subcombinations with one another. A display device canbe provided for displaying one or more intermediate or final resultsgenerated at least in part by performing any of the new and nonobviousmethods or method acts described herein both alone or in combinationsand subcombinations with one another.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of theinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary computing system onwhich certain embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed hereincan be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a computer network that can beused to perform at least some of the embodiments of the systems andmethods disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating another computer network that canbe used to perform at least some of the embodiments of the systems andmethods disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating how the computer networks of FIG.2 or 3 can be used to perform certain aspects of the systems and methodsdisclosed herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of a user registrationprocess in which a new user can enter information such as that describedabove.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of a player initiating a newgame.

FIG. 7 illustrates a song that has been selected by one of the playersbeing displayed while playing on a user's playback device.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary voting screen for a game.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of a manner in which songscan be located and selected for playlists

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

General Considerations

For purposes of this description, certain aspects, advantages, and novelfeatures of the embodiments of this disclosure are described herein. Thedisclosed methods, apparatuses, and systems should not be construed aslimiting in any way. Instead, the present disclosure is directed towardall novel and nonobvious features and aspects of the various disclosedembodiments, alone and in various combinations and sub-combinations withone another. The methods, apparatus, and systems are not limited to anyspecific aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor do the disclosedembodiments require that any one or more specific advantages be presentor problems be solved.

Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are describedin a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it shouldbe understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement,unless a particular ordering is required by specific language set forthbelow. For example, operations described sequentially may in some casesbe rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake ofsimplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in whichthe disclosed methods can be used in conjunction with other methods.Additionally, the description sometimes uses terms like “determine” and“provide” to describe the disclosed methods. These terms are high-levelabstractions of the actual operations that are performed. The actualoperations that correspond to these terms may vary depending on theparticular implementation and are readily discernible by one of ordinaryskill in the art.

Implementation of the Systems and Methods Disclosed Herein

The entertainment methods and systems can be implemented or performed bysoftware stored on one or more tangible computer-readable media (e.g.,one or more optical media discs, volatile memory or storage components(such as DRAM or SRAM), or nonvolatile memory or storage components(such as hard drives)) and executed on one or more computing systems.The computing systems can include one or more central processing units(CPUs) and a memory, such as random access memory (RAM) for temporarystorage of information and/or a read only memory (ROM) for permanentstorage of information, and a mass storage device, such as a hard drive,diskette, or optical media storage device. Typically, the modules of thecomputing system are connected to the computer using a standards-basedbus system, such as, for example, Peripheral Component Interconnect(PCI), Microchannel, SCSI, Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA) andExtended ISA (EISA) architectures. The computing system may also includeone or more commonly available input/output (I/O) devices andinterfaces, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and/or a touchpad. In oneembodiment, the I/O devices and interfaces include one or more displaydevices, such as a monitor, that allows the visual presentation of datato a user. More particularly, a display device can provide, for example,for the presentation of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), applicationsoftware data, and multimedia presentations. The computing system mayalso provide a communications interface to various external devices.

Such software can be executed on a single computer or on a networkedcomputer (e.g., via the Internet, a wide-area network, a local-areanetwork, a client-server network, or other such network). The systemsand methods disclosed herein can also be performed using cloudcomputing, a form of Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources,software and information are provided to computers and other deviceson-demand. The software embodiments disclosed herein can be described inthe general context of computer-executable instructions, such as thoseincluded in program modules, which can be executed in a computingenvironment on a target real or virtual processor.

Any of the software embodiments (comprising, for example,computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform anyof the disclosed methods) can be transmitted, received, or accessedthrough a suitable communication means. Similarly, any data structure,data file, intermediate result, or final result created or modifiedusing any of the disclosed methods can be transmitted, received, oraccessed through a suitable communication means. Such suitablecommunication means include, for example, the Internet, the World WideWeb, an intranet, software applications, cable (including fiber opticcable), magnetic communications, electromagnetic communications(including RF, microwave, and infrared communications), electroniccommunications, or other such communication means now known or unknown.Moreover, any data structure, data file, intermediate result, or finalresult produced by any of the disclosed methods can be displayed to auser using a suitable display device (e.g., a computer monitor ordisplay). Such displaying can be performed as part of acomputer-implemented method of performing any of the disclosed methods.

FIG. 1 illustrates a generalized example of a suitable computingenvironment 100 in which several of the described embodiments can beimplemented. The computing environment 100 is not intended to suggestany limitation as to scope of use or functionality, as the methodsdescribed herein can be implemented in diverse general-purpose orspecial-purpose computing environments.

With reference to FIG. 1, the computing environment 100 includes atleast one processing unit 102 and memory 104. In FIG. 1, this most basicconfiguration 106 is included within a dashed line. The processing unit102 executes computer-executable instructions and may be a real or avirtual processor. In a multi-processing system, multiple processingunits execute computer-executable instructions to increase processingpower. The memory 104 may be volatile memory (e.g., registers, cache,RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc.), orsome combination of the two. The memory 104 stores software 116implementing one or more of the systems described herein.

The computing environment may have additional features. For example, thecomputing environment 100 includes storage 108, one or more inputdevices 110, one or more output devices 112, and one or morecommunication connections 114. An interconnection mechanism (not shown)such as a bus, controller, or network interconnects the components ofthe computing environment 100. Typically, operating system software (notshown) provides an operating environment for other software executing inthe computing environment 100, and coordinates activities of thecomponents of the computing environment 100.

The storage 108 may be removable or non-removable, and includes magneticdisks, magnetic tapes or cassettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store information and which can be accessed withinthe computing environment 100. The storage 108 can store instructionsfor the software 116 implementing any of the described systems andmethods.

The input device(s) 110 can be a touch input device such as a keyboard,mouse, pen, or trackball, a voice input device, a scanning device, oranother device that provides input to the computing environment 100. Foraudio or video encoding, the input device(s) 110 can be a sound card,video card, TV tuner card, or similar device that accepts audio or videoinput in analog or digital form, or a CD-ROM or CD-RW that reads audioor video samples into the computing environment 100. The outputdevice(s) 112 can be a display, printer, speaker, CD-writer, or anotherdevice that provides output from the computing environment 100.

The communication connection(s) 114 enable communication over acommunication medium to another computing entity. The communicationmedium is not a storage medium but conveys information such ascomputer-executable instructions, resource and construction projectinformation, or other data in a modulated data signal. A modulated datasignal is a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set orchanged in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By wayof example, and not limitation, communication media include wired orwireless techniques implemented with an electrical, optical, RF,infrared, acoustic, or other carrier.

The various methods disclosed herein can be described in the generalcontext of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media are anyavailable media that can be accessed within or by a computingenvironment. By way of example, and not limitation, with the computingenvironment 100, computer-readable media include tangiblecomputer-readable storage media such as memory 104 and storage 108.

Any of the aspects of the technology described herein can also beperformed using a distributed computer network. FIG. 2 shows asimplified embodiment of one such exemplary network. A server computer120 can have an associated storage device 122 (internal or external tothe server computer). For example, the server computer 120 can beconfigured to perform the calculations and analysis of informationaccording to any of the disclosed embodiments. The server computer 120can be coupled to a network, shown generally at 124, which can comprise,for example, a wide-area network, a local-area network, a client-servernetwork, the Internet, or other such network. One or more clientcomputers, such as those shown at 126, 128, may be coupled to thenetwork 124 using a network protocol. The work may also be performed ona single, dedicated workstation, which has its own memory and one ormore CPUs.

FIG. 3 shows another exemplary network. One or more computers 132communicate via a network 1304 and form a computing environment 130(e.g., a distributed computing environment). Each of the computers 132in the computing environment 130 can be used to perform at least aportion of the calculation techniques according to any of the disclosedembodiments. The network 134 in the illustrated embodiment is alsocoupled to one or more client computers 136.

FIG. 4 shows one exemplary manner in which computer-executableinstructions for performing any of the disclosed embodiments can betransmitted, accessed, or received using a remote server computer (suchas the server computer 120 shown in FIG. 2) or a remote computingenvironment (such as the computing environment 130 shown in FIG. 3). Atprocess block 140, for example, the client computer sends a request todownload computer-executable instructions for performing any of thedisclosed methods or techniques (e.g., after registering or logging into the system). In process block 142, the request is received by theremote server or by respective components of the remote computingenvironment. In process block 144, the remote server or computingenvironment transmits computer-executable instructions for performingany of the disclosed methods or techniques. At 146, thecomputer-executable instructions are received (e.g., stored, buffered,and/or executed) by the client computer.

Entertainment Methods and Systems

In one embodiment, a game or entertainment system is provided wherebyusers (players) can select and play various songs. The songs can bestored locally by the system and/or the songs can be stored elsewhere,such as on the Internet. For example, in one embodiment, the songs thatare played can comprise songs that are available for download orstreaming on the Internet, such as those that are available viaYouTube™.

A game can be played with any number of players. The players can beassociated with one another in various manners. For example, the playerscan all be in the same room or the players can be in different locationsand remotely associated with one another through an Internet connectionor other means such as those described above.

A game, or portion of a game (e.g., a round) can be started by a playerstating or choosing a challenge for which the players must select one ormore songs. For example, the challenge could be “What is the best songto dance to that was recorded in the 1980's?” Upon statement of thechallenge, the players can each select a song that they believe answersthe challenge (and which is available for playback through the songselection/playback means available to the players). The songs selectedby the players can be queued and played for the players. At the end ofthe round, each player can vote on what the “best” song selection was.

In some embodiments, players may not vote for their own song. In suchembodiments, it can be desirable to have at least three players involvedin the game since two players that cannot vote for their own songs wouldalways result in a tie.

Playback of the queued songs can be achieved in various manners. Forexample, in one embodiment, each player's playback device (e.g., alaptop, smartphone, or other computing or music-playing device) can besynched so that the queued songs stream to the players through theinternet in a generally synchronous manner. By generally synching theplayback in this manner, players can be able to comment or communicatewith one another about the selected songs during playback.

In some embodiments, the user can choose between an audio-only playbackof a song (even if that song is being sourced from a location thatcomprises audio and video capabilities). For example, the playbackdevice can be configured so that the audio portion only of aYouTube-based streaming song plays—and not the video—unless the playerchooses (e.g., by hitting or clicking on a switch, toggle, or other suchselection member, either virtual or real) to allow the video portion toappear. The video portion of the song that is being played can appear onthe same screen that is currently shown on the playback device or it canappear on another screen, such as a pop-up screen on the same device oreven a screen on another device connected to the playback device (e.g.,a TV screen connected to or associated with the playback device).Desirably, when the user selects to see the video portion of the song onYouTube™ that video will appear in a box within the user interface ofthe game system itself rather than as part of a traditional browser. Inthis manner, a user can manage all of the game features provided withthe user interface while viewing the video within the game's userinterface.

A playlist only function can allow a user to stream multiple YouTube™videos one after each other. A pre-set limit of the number of songs thatcan be added to a playlist can be provided; alternatively, no limits canbe provided and the user can add as many songs to a playlist as desired.

The user can create playlists of popular songs that have been collectedor otherwise identified within the game system (i.e., songs that areaccessible by searching an interface provided by the game systemitself). Alternatively, users can collect and add songs to theirplaylists from other sources.

With regard to songs that have been collected within the game system,these songs can be made available through the game system (e.g., somesongs can be stored on servers maintained by the game system itself) orthey can be linked into the game system from external sites (e.g.,YouTube™). If the song is collected or identified by a user withoutusing the game system's interface, the user can directly link to suchsongs so that those songs can be added to the playlist and madeavailable for playback by the playback device during a game.

If a link to a YouTube™ song (or other song provided by an externalsource) is invalid for any reason (e.g., it was removed from YouTube™ bythe owner) then the playlist can be configured to skip that song and goto the next song in the queue. Alternatively, the system can locate andidentify another valid link to the song as available from YouTube™ oranother source to allow that song to be played in its order in theplaylist. In some embodiments, the identification and location of validlinks can be performed by the system in advance of each songs playback,so that game users do not experience delays while waiting for songs tobe played.

Thus, game users can enjoy thousands of YouTube™ based songs (or othersimilar freely available or otherwise accessible songs) without havingto find each link one at a time. Users can simply search within the gameinterface for the song and the game system can queue that song and, atleast in some embodiments, identify and locate valid links to that song.Additionally, if the user would like to identify songs that are notavailable through the system's interface, the user can separately linkto those songs so that they can be accessed by the playlist feature.

Exemplary User Interfaces and Game Operation

As noted above, the game system can be searchable for music. Forexample, in one embodiment, many popular songs (e.g., the top 500, 5000,10000, or more popular songs) can be located by the game system andpre-loaded into a searchable database. In some embodiments, the databasecan be contained within the structure of an executable file for thegame. Each player screen can be provided with a search tool that allowsthe user to search for songs. The song can be searched by artist, songtitle, lyrics, genre, etc. Each of the pre-loaded songs can have one ormore URLs stored so that the songs link “behind the scenes” to an activeYouTube™ link or other such location. As described above, the system canbe configured so that only the audio portion plays from the URL even ifthe link contains a video element.

The browser that plays the song can be configured to be “invisible” sothat it does not appear on the user's screen but works on thebackground. The browser can operate “in the background” and can beconfigured to be operated by the game's programming to find the properlive audio/video links for each queued song. In some embodiments, onlythe audio will play and the user will not see the browser windowsopening up.

If a pre-loaded URL (or other similar link to a storage location of asong) is no longer active or if a pre-loaded URL is not in the pre-setdatabase of URLs for a particular song, a user can separately search forthe song. For example, in one embodiment, another browser (either withinthe user interface of the game or separate from the user interface ofthe game) can be opened and the user can search the Internet for asuitable streaming resource such as a song published and available forstreaming on YouTube™. That location can be linked to the song that theuser adds to the queue. Also, if desired, the game system can beautomatically updated so that the new location (e.g., the specificYouTube™ URL) is added to the database for future searches within thegame interface by that user and other users.

In order to avoid erroneous additions of new songs to the game systemsdatabase, the system can comprise programmed logic that dictates that acertain number of URLs must be added for a song before that link isaccepted as a valid song location that can be added to the database. Forexample, the system can be configured so that once five URLS for aparticular search have been loaded they will be submitted for automaticinclusion into the game system's database of songs. Also, should URLS inthe database be determined to be “bad” by the user community, they canbe flagged for removal from the system and those URLs can be subject toa removal process. The removal process can be automated, such as byrequiring a certain number of “flags” by different users before the linkis removed. Alternatively, an internal review process can be performedprior to removal of these “flagged” links. Of course, additional songsand their associated links can be added by the game system as neededand/or desired. Also, the game system can be modified (e.g., by internalstaff) to add additional URLS for any particular song into the URLdatabase of streamable media.

Game Play Example

As described above, the game can be played by players in the same roomor players may play with other players on the Internet by logging intothe game system (e.g., through a game system website) to find otherplayers to interact with. In some embodiments, each user can be asked toregister with the game system. The registration process can compriseproviding a user ID and a password. In addition, other information aboutthe user can be obtained, including, for example, the user's name, age,location, and email address. Thus, in some embodiments, the user can berequested to provide information about their musical interest such asfavorite artists, preferred genres, etc. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplaryscreenshot of a user registration process in which a new user can enterinformation such as that described above.

To begin a new game, a user can select the format of the game, includingthe number of players and the particular game challenge. For example, asshown in FIG. 6, the user can select a number of players. This selectioncan be entered or it can be selected from a drop-down menu. In oneembodiment, the user selects the number of players from a drop-down menuthat allows up to eight players. As discussed above, more players can beallowed, and in some instances, more players can be desirable. However,since each player selects a song and even the shortest songs wouldlikely be at least 2 minutes long, the shortest game with eight playerswould be about 16 minutes. If longer songs are selected, the game can bemuch longer. For this reason, it may be desirable to generally keep thenumber of players at eight or below.

Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, only a portion ofthe selected song will be played. Thus, for example, the game can beconfigured so that, for each song selection, only one minute of the songwill be played. This controls the length of the game by limiting thelength of each song that will be played. In other embodiments, thelength of the song can be shorter or longer. In a longer duration limitgame, for example, each song that is selected could be allowed to beplayed for four minutes. For some songs, this will be the entire song,while for other longer songs this would cause the song to be truncatedas necessary.

In other embodiments, the length of the songs that are played can beautomatically selected based on the number of players. Thus, forexample, if there are eight players the song length can be limited to 1minute, while for four players the song length can be limited to 2minutes. In this manner, the duration of the game can be controlled.

Referring again to FIG. 6, each player's name can be entered and anumber can be assigned to that player. The number will determine theorder in which the user participates in the game. The number can bebased on the order in which the players join the game or it can berandomly assigned. If desired, the user can remain anonymous and onlytheir assigned number will be displayed.

A player can invite other players to join in the game. Invited playerscan be added by entering the player's user name in the game system, orby contacting them through email or social media networks, such asFacebook™. Players can also add other players as “friends” within thegame system so that in the future, they will be easily contacted to playadditional games. Players may invite or accept invitations of otherregistered user and expand the number of people who may play the gamewith a user by accepting or making “friend” invitations in a mannersimilar to that used by Facebook™.

The initiator of the game (or a winner from a previous game) can selectthe challenge or category of the game. In FIG. 6, for example, theplayer has selected the challenge of “Bands you like from the 80's.”Song categories can be selected using a pull down menu or by enteringthe challenge manually. Alternatively, if desired, the category can berandomly selected by the game system. Users may suggest game questionsby submitting the same through the game interface. Approved questionscan be added to a list of game questions available via the game's userinterface (e.g., via drop down menus).

Once the category is selected, each player is given a time limit tochoose their song. The time limit can be selected in a settings menu ofthe game. In one embodiment, the time limit can vary based on the numberof players in the game. Thus, for example, 1-4 players may be given 2minutes, while 4-8 players are given 1.5 minutes to select their song.

To select a song, the user can search the database for a desired song inthe manner described herein. While searching for songs, the user cansave any selection into a playlist for later listening by clicking “addto playlist,” as shown in FIG. 6. If the song that is being added to theplaylist is part of a game, the song can be automatically added to aplaylist with the same name as the challenge. If desired, however, theuser can change the name of the playlist from the name of the challenge.In one embodiment, at the end of any game (solo or group) each playercan be promoted to “PUT ALL GAME SONGS IN PLAYLIST.”

Preferably, video recordings will default to audio when added to aplaylist. Any song or playlist created in the game system can be sharedwith others and when shared the friend can be presented with the optionof adding the song link into their own player or playlists.

Thus, the playlist created during the game can be streamed on demand bya game player outside of playing the game. For example, afteraccumulating a list of 50 great songs during a challenge, the user canstream those songs via the “invisible browser” in sequence for laterenjoyment. Any songs that no longer have active URLS are removedautomatically. As described above, songs can also be added to playlistswithout playing the game by selecting songs from the game system's listof pre-selected songs or using a separate browser tool to find new songsto add to the playlist.

FIG. 6 illustrates a selection of a first user (Rodney) of the song“Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode. Songs can be confidentiallyselected so that other users will not see your selection until the queueis completed and the songs begin playing. Once the user is ready tofinalize their selection, the user can click on the “confirm selection”icon. Each song can be first identified to the other users when the songis played, but not sooner. After players select their respective songs,the songs can be played (in the assigned order or randomly) for up tothe predetermined amount of time selected (e.g., 1 minute).

FIG. 7 illustrates a song that has been selected by one of the playersbeing displayed while playing on a user's playback device. In someembodiments, such as the one shown in FIG. 7, the name of the playerthat selected the song is not shown so that voting will not be biasedbased on a player's feelings about another player. During game play,each song that is being played during the game will show up on otherplayer's computers and devices as each device used by each player willbe synced to each other through the Internet via the game system'sserver/software.

After the songs (or a portion of all the songs) are played, voting canbegin. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary voting screen for a four-playergame. Each of the selected and played songs is displayed and each playercan select their favorite song or the song that they feel bestrepresents the chosen category. In some embodiments, the players cannotselect their own songs. A winner is declared based on the votes. Thewinning song can then be played in its entirety. For those continuing toplay, the winner can then select the next category/challenge.

Additional Playlist Features

A playlist-only function can also be provided. In this manner, users cancreate playlists of popular songs using the game interface and theavailable links to streaming media, such as through YouTube™. Theinvisible browser can find each link on YouTube™ or elsewhere (usingpre-loaded links) and play the songs. In this manner, thousands of songson YouTube™ can be placed in playlists and played sequentially, withoutthe user having to open a browser and separately search to find a newsong after each song is finished playing. Conventional use of YouTube™does not allow the creation of playlists in this manner; instead, peoplehave to find songs one at a time and play them one at a time. Thebrowser playlist functionality disclosed herein allows users to makeplaylists from links that are provided (and confirmed as active) withinthe game system. FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary screenshot of a mannerin which songs can be located and selected for playlists.

These playlists can be created to be audio only playlists where no videowill play, whether or not there is video associated with the originalYouTube™ link. However, default functionality of not allowing video tobe seen in the player screen can be changed, if desired, by clicking the“show video” button and the video portion of the audio/video streamingwill then open up in a new window. This playlist only function is anadditional feature for the game package itself and is a second way ofusing the software.

Solo Play

Solo play can be provided by selecting a solo play category, as shown inFIG. 6. Solo play can comprise a “name that tune” format whereby aplayer chooses a category and then the game system randomly selects anappropriate song for playback. The user can stop the song as soon ashe/she recognizes the song and can enter information about the song tosee if they properly identified the song (e.g., artist, title, year,etc.). Points can be awarded to players based on the speed and accuracyin recognizing songs that are played in this manner, and player rankingscan be provided based on the number of points achieved by players.

Thus, when engaging in solo play, the player is served up songs one at atime and has to identify the name of the band, the name of the song andthe year of the song release for points. Points can be accumulated byplayers based on their solo play. In some embodiments, solo players canalso play against other players live in real time and compete forhighest points. Songs can be put into each player's playlist during thegame.

Cost Per Engagement Module

In some embodiments, during the game users can receive messages thatcontain commercial content. In exchange for viewing the message, thesystem can provide the user with the option to receive something ofvalue, such as a free song download or discount coupons (by email ordownload), or other potential benefits, such as entry into contests andpromotions.

Users are preferably targeted by their demographics in order for them toreceive the commercial message during game play. Basic demographics caninclude gender, age, and location. Users can also be prompted to provideor allow additional demographics in order to receive additionalcommercial messages and/or commercial messages tied to “better”premiums, such as a new song from a very famous artist such as LadyGaga. Some premiums will be “limited edition” or “exclusive” in natureso as the game players open up various levels of the game they will gainaccess to “better” premiums such as more popular songs or premiums inhigher demand by the public.

Additional demographics and information that can be used to target userscan be based on other information that a user allows the system tocollect, such as the GPS location of game players, the number of gameplayers in any particular game, number of “friends” attributed to eachplayer, frequency of playing the game, most recent date of game play,and locations of “friends” who play game with an individual player.

Invitations can be sent to game users while they are using the game.These invitations can invite users to participate in activities thatprovide value to the user based on their activities (e.g., cost perengagement). Cost per engagement models refer to advertising impressionsthat are free and advertisers only pay when a user engages with their adunit. For example, those users who are in desired demographics couldreceive a “live” invitation to a cost per engagement event, if they areregistered users of the game. In other words, while playing the game,they would be interrupted for a hot cost per engagement event if theyare in the right demographic. They could opt out to not accept or getthe cost per engagement invitation if they wanted.

Cost Per Engagement

Advertisements can be provided to users as text, images, audio, video,or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, the advertisement canbe of a predetermined duration, such as a 30 second commercial as mightbe seen on conventional television.

In some embodiments, there can be a reward offered after theadvertisement is viewed. Thus, for example, after viewing the commercialcontent, the user could receive a free MP3 download from a major artist,or a two for one voucher for merchandise (e.g., two MP3 downloads forthe price of one). The reward can comprise a discount, a discountcoupon, an entry into a sweepstakes or contest, or any suitable prize ofsome value (real, virtual, or emotional) to a user.

In one embodiment, during the play of the game, the system can identifycertain demographics of the players and the commercial content (andassociated rewards) can be modified based on this information. Asdescribed herein, such demographic information (e.g., age, gender, zipcode and other demographic related data) can be acquired at the time ofregistration of the users. Thus, for example, if some or all players areall determined to be 18 between 20 years of age, advertisements (and anyassociated rewards) can be directed toward that demographic.Advertisements and/or links for purchase of the songs that are involvedduring their games can also be provided.

Advertisements can also be determined based on the music that is playedand/or searched. For example, if a user searches for “Lady Gaga” in thesearch field, a prize, advertisement, or other feature can be obtainedby the user. This prize can be, for example, a free download of a LadyGaga song. Alternatively, a free download (or other advertisement orprize) can be offered for songs of another artist that has been deemedto be “a musician that people who like Lady Gaga should like.”

If a reward/prize is provided, the system can state, for example,“Congratulations! You have won a free Lady Gaga MP3 Download. Click hereto receive a free download of the song ‘Set Me Free.’” The user can thenclicks the proper button and a new screen can open up that has relatedtext and a commercial can play. Text says that “download has commenced.”

In some embodiments, the speed of the download can be matched to thelength of the commercial. Therefore, the duration of the download can besubstantially the same as the length of the commercial, which canincrease the percentage of users that actually view the download. Also,the commercial screen can be configured so that it cannot be closed orminimized during the download without causing the download to cancel, afeature which can be described in text so that the user does notmistakenly close the commercial screen during the download period.

In other embodiments, CPE events can promote contest entries, vouchersand the like, instead of or in addition to, providing prizes and otherrewards such as the download of free MP3 files.

Independent Music Features

Solo Game players or players in a group can also listen to songs fromunsigned musicians and rate the songs. The rating system can vary. Inone embodiment, for example, songs can be simply rated good or bad. Inother embodiments, ratings can be more complex. For example, ratings canreflect performance, song writing, and sound recording quality. Theseratings can be on a variety of scales that distinguish the quality ofeach category, such as Poor, Average, Great, and Super. Other ratingsystems can be used, including those based on ranking by adjectives(such as Poor, Average, Great, and Super) or sequential-type ratings(e.g., 1-4, 1-10, A-F), or a combination of adjectives and sequentialratings.

Ratings can be accumulated and recorded by the game system at, forexample, a central server. In this manner, the public can function torate unsigned music and identify those songs or artists that are mostpopular with the public. This also allows for later use of informationabout the artists who are identified as being the most popular and/ortalented. For example, artists whose songs that have the best rating canbe given the chance to engage in other events for additional promotionswhich can provide the artists with further beneficial exposure. Thus,the rating system and use thereof can provide unsigned artists with theability to help promote their music.

In addition, artists who have the most ratings, the highest ratings,etc., can be eligible for other prizes, incentives, and/or awards basedon these ratings. For example, weekly prizes can be provided for thehighest ranked new artist in each genre, thereby providing artists withan incentive to participate in the system. Winners of these prizes canbe featured prominently on the website to further promote their music.

Other prizes and incentives can also be provided to the users that ratemusic. For example, prizes and incentives can be provided for playersthat rate the most music. Additionally, players in the process of ratingmusic can get be entered into drawings for prizes (instant orotherwise). If the prize is an instant prize, a player may receive aninstant notification of having been selected to win a prize based ontheir participation in the rating system.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of thedisclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that theillustrated embodiments are only preferred examples of the invention andshould not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, thescope of the invention is defined by the following claims. We thereforeclaim as our invention all that comes within the scope and spirit ofthese claims.

1. A method of providing an entertainment game involving the selectionof music for playback, the method comprising: receiving informationabout a number of players that will be playing the game; receivinginformation about a music challenge in which the players will becompeting, the music challenge comprising a subject, topic, or categoryfor which there are a plurality of songs that are responsive to themusic challenge; providing a database of songs from which each playercan choose a selected song, each selected song being selected by arespective player in response to the music challenge; playing at least aportion of the selected songs; and polling the players to receive votesfrom the players, wherein each player can vote for one of the selectedsongs.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the database of songs comprisesa plurality of songs that are available to be streamed via a secondarywebsite.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary websitecomprises YouTube™.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein each player canchoose their respective selected song either from the database of songsor from another source.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the musicchallenge can be selected from a list of previously-identifiedchallenges.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein each player is notpermitted to vote for their own respective selected song.
 7. The methodof claim 1, further comprising providing a predetermined amount of timefor each player to vote during the polling step.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein the playing of the at least a portion of the selected songscomprises playing an audio-only version of the selected songs, wherein asource of the selected songs comprises both audio and video components.9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing each player withthe option to view the video component of the selected songs.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the selected song that receives the mostvotes is subsequently played in its entirety.
 11. The method of claim 2,wherein songs in the database are associated with at least one URL fromwhich the song can be streamed.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein atleast some of the songs in the database are associated with a pluralityof URLs from which the song can be streamed.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein when playing the at least a portion of the selected songs, if aURL associated with the selected song is found to be inactive, anotherURL associated with the selected song is utilized.
 14. The method ofclaim 11, wherein when playing the at least a portion of the selectedsongs, if all URLs associated with the selected song are found to beinactive, that selected song is skipped and not included in the voting.15. The method of claim 1, wherein the players are permitted to add allof the selected songs into a playlist that can be saved.
 16. The methodof claim 1, wherein the players are in different geographic locationsfrom one another while playing the game.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein players are provided targeted advertising messages based ontheir geographic locations.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein playersare provided with incentives to play additional games, the incentivesbeing of monetary value.
 19. A method of promoting music, the methodcomprising: receiving songs from a plurality of artists; publishing thesongs on a website so the songs are available for viewing by users ofthe website; receiving ratings by the users about the quality of thepublished songs; and identifying the songs that receive the highestratings by the users.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the artists ofthe songs that receive the highest rankings are provided with a prize.21. The method of claim 20, wherein the prize is that the music of theartists that receive the highest rankings is further promoted on thewebsite.
 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the users are provided withincentives to rate the songs received from the artists.
 23. The methodof claim 22, wherein the incentives comprise instant prizes and prizesfor rating a predetermined number of songs.
 24. A method of providingmusic to users, the method comprising: identifying URLs from which aplurality of songs can be streamed from a location on the Internet;associating the URLs with the plurality of songs; providing a searchabledatabase that includes the streamable songs and their associated URLs;and providing a playlist generator that creates a playlist of aplurality of the streamable songs upon selection by a user.